FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Cohen Clover

Mason and Lark III

copyright comidacomida 2021

In addition to Garret waiting for him in the hallway, Mason was also greeted by Narri. Considering Oolau where several inches taller than Humans she was imposing based just on her size but, when she wanted to be, she could be downright intimidating. In that moment she definitely wanted to be. Mason could tell right away by her posture and the fact that the fur on her neck and shoulders puffed out beneath her shirt and the way her tail was held erect that she was not happy.

Her words, spoken slowly and with purpose in English said just as much. "To begin, I am not happy with this arrangement, Mason."

The young man was blindsided by the announcement. He said nothing for several seconds, assessing her grave expression and the serious gaze in her eyes. Narri closely resembled a Land Earth Akita; she was stalwartly built with a thick coat; her broad jaws and piercing, forward-facing eyes only increased the intimidation factor. Mason knew, however, that Narri was capable of very amicable discourse and he had nothing to fear from her... he presumed. "What arrangement, Narri?"

She had spent a lot of time perfecting her ability to pronounce words that usually caused Oolau trouble and, thankfully, that meant Mason was not distracted by the usual speech impediments common to the people of Shattered Earth. "I am not pleased that you are meeting with a Purist. I already lodged a complaint with administration that you have brought one here. They are dangerous, and I am concerned that he will cause trouble, especially after what his raid group did to the caravan."

The tone she used indicated that she wasn't really interested in a conversation or reassurance; she was letting him know her opinion on the matter, which may as well have been fact. Just a few years prior he probably would have thrown some choice four letter words and told her in no uncertain terms he didn't care (the phrase "Fuck off" would likely have been used at least three times in the course of a minute), but he had learned during his time at the Academy that a lighter touch was usually much more effective, and so he addressed her points. "Thank you for worrying... Dr Cohen and the security team are being very careful, so I feel--"

She spoke right over him, raising her voice to do so. "I have already told Dr Cohen that it is a foolish decision so I am on record, but I am telling YOU the same thing because it is YOUR life they are playing with by having you interact with the savage."

Mason felt his heart speed up for two or three beats, the old fight-back instinct still alive and well, more than willing to kick in and tell the prejudice bitch (it wasn't an insult if used to reference an Oolau female) to fuck right off (okay, he reminded himself, THAT verbiage probably wasn't as diplomatic). Regardless, he bit his tongue. "We don't get to choose how those we reach out to will react, but we still have to try."

Not-quite scowling, Narri's expression remained severe. "Hold out your hand to the wrong Oolau and it may get bitten, Mason. You are a good Human, but the Purists do not--"

Having held his tongue the entire time, Garret may as well have not been present up until the point that he interrupted the Oolau woman, saving Mason the trouble of arguing. "Ms. Narri, Dr. Cohen ended their session early so you could say what you had to say, and now you have. You've already lodged your complaint, so if there's nothing else..."

Despite being 'just a guy watching a door', Garret was remarkably skilled with the method the Programme diplomats had elected to use when trying to deal with unruly Oolau, namely the 'trail off and let them decide what to do on their own'. Thankfully, it worked. Taking one last look at Mason, Narri sighed, shaking her head before switching back into Oolau. "You were almost killed and they did kill many others. He was part of that group. This is foolish but you will make your own mistakes."

Before she could leave, Mason did realize that he had one important use for her. "Narri, I have a question, please."

Rather than turning away she rotated her body to face him directly. "What is it, Mason?"

The young man thought back to the words that Lark had told to him when they parted. "When I was leaving, Lark said something to me in Oolau that I didn't understand."

Her eyebrow raised bu her follow up statement was dismissive. Even so, she took the time to answer, and ask a follow up question of her own. "The Purists use a different dialect... that is to be expected. What did he say to you?"

Mason tried his best to replicate the words. "Ooo-awoo."

The unimpressed flick of her ear and the sour expression on her muzzle indicated that he hadn't done a good job of it. She was quick to correct him, exactly as she was every time in class. "You mean 'ah-ahwoo'."

The young man nodded eagerly. "Yes. That's what he said."

Her response was simple. "It means 'I abide.'."

The statement didn't mean much to Mason. "It means 'I abide.'? What's that supposed to mean?"

Narri let out a faint, exasperated breath from her nose. "It is a way to say farewell... the Seekers do not use it except in the most formal affairs, but the Purists save it for partings when they are expressing the expectation to see someone again. In the case of the prisoner I am not sure whether to think this is a good thing or a bad one."

Mason didn't bother holding his tongue. "You mean guest. Lark is our guest."

He was honestly surprised that the counter-question she came up with was nearly identical to the one Lark had proposed. "So he's aloud to walk out of the Centre if he wants?"

The young man sighed; Oolau were difficult to speak to.

* * * * *

Mason's activities at the Unity Centre were numerous and he had a lot to catch up on due to his stay in recovery. Even so, he made it a point to visit Lark the following day when he had a break in his activities. With only about an hour to spare, the young man made certain that he handled some technical translations in an office near the medical center so his trip to the recovery room wouldn't eat up too much time. Garret was standing at the door as usual, and his greeting was casual. "Hey, Mason... here for a visit?"

The young man nodded to the affirmative, glancing to digital clock perched over the door; they were common in the medical wing to help physicians track their rounds. "It's my lunch break and Dr. Cohen said before he thought I should visit when I can."

Garret nodded, motioning to the door. "You have a key card... go ahead. He hasn't said a word since you left so maybe you can give the folks in observation something worth seeing."

There really wasn't much more to be said and, since Mason didn't particularly have a lot of time he thought better of wasting it. "Gotcha."

The door opened once he presented his new key card and, as he stepped in, Garret spoke after him. "He hasn't been fed yet. You two eating together again?"

Mason hadn't really given it much thought but considering the way he was spending his lunch break it made sense. "Yeah. Sure."

The man nodded, speaking over his shoulder as Mason entered the room. "Alright. I'll have em bring two trays."

Saying a quick thanks as the door closed, the young man stepped closer to Lark, who remained seated on the ground near the corner. Despite the fact that the black-furred Oolau was facing the wall, Mason saw that one of Lark's ears was swiveled in his direction. Spreading his arms and turning his hands so that his palms faced outward toward the Wolf, the young man proclaimed "I said I'd see you again."

Lark slowly rotated in place, turning to regard him. The Oolau responded simply with the same phrase he'd used in parting. "Ah-ahwoo."

Mark tried not to look too goofy when he smiled in response and, mindfully, also avoided showing his teeth. "I had to ask what that meant... I had not heard it before."

The Oolau raised one ear and lowered the other. "You spoke with the female Dreamer. What else did you say to each other?"

Although Lark's tone was carefully neutral Mason couldn't quite get rid of the feeling that the statement and follow-up question was somehow accusatory. The Human followed up with a question of his own, lamenting for probably the dozenth time in a single day that the Oolau language didn't lend itself to conjunctions. "You do not approve?"

The Oolau responded first with a silent gaze but, at length, he spoke. "When you spoke at first it was in your language. I did not understand much of what was said until she spoke in the Oolau tongue."

Mason should have expected Lark to have been able to listen in since he'd already acknowledged it was within his senses but it really didn't matter; thinking back to what he'd discussed with Narri he determined it wasn't anything he wouldn't have clearly spoken about in front of Lark. "I just asked her about that phrase-- 'Ah-ahwoo'."

The young man took special care to try and get the pronunciation correctly but if the effort meant much to Lark the Oolau didn't bother commenting further. Instead, the black-furred wolf inched a little closer. "And you will report to her again once you leave here?"

Conveying complex thoughts or, for that matter, even providing a decent point of clarification was still something Mason was working on getting right in the Oolau tongue. "No... I mean, I will see her again, yes, but that is only because we spend time together in a class, but that does not mean I--"

Lark didn't bother giving him time to get to the point. "You talk like a puppy... you speak a lot but say little."

Mason felt his face blush. "I do not report to her."

A voice came on over the room's intercom, speaking in English. "Mason. Dr. Jansen here. In case you haven't noticed, the patient is controlling the trajectory of the conversation. See if you can engage him more than just answering his questions."

The young man felt imposed upon thanks to the suggestion; he had no illusions about being alone with Lark but to have his dialogue so carefully monitored gave his rebel-at-heart attitude an incentive to cop an attitude. He had to dial it back as Lark regarded him. "The man who spoke... what was said?"

Mason decided to get his revenge directly and with no subtlety. "That was Dr. Jansen speaking. He wanted me to try to get answers from you instead of letting you be the one to ask all of the questions."

The Wolf flicked an ear, taking on a thoughtful expression for all of two seconds before acknowledging the statement. "He is right... you are asking no questions."

The young man nodded, his inner-objectionist getting a giddy thrill at all but ignoring the doctor's request. "Correct, but I know you have questions and right now I want to let you ask yours."

If Lark got the humor of the situation he didn't show it, instead, the Wolf went straight back into asking about Narri. "What else did you say to the female Dreamer?"

Mason went over the entirety of their discussion within his recollection, starting with the fact that she wasn't happy to know that Lark was there and concluding with her statement about the Steward being a prisoner and how he and Mason didn't agree on that. The very tip of Lark's tail twitched as he stated dryly. "I find humor in that you also told her that I am not a prisoner and she believes the same as I do."

The young man tried not to pout but Lark's statement didn't make it easy. "I do not find humor in that."

Lark's tail lashed back and forth in mirth but any further discussion was cut short when the door to the chamber opened and Garret wheeled in a small plastic trolley. Handing to trays to Mason, the attendant said simply "Ham and cheese again... two. Also two cups of potato salad, two cups of broccoli salad, two sliced apples. No milk since uncultured processed milk products cause a problem for Oolau, so water, you can get from the sink."

Mason had barely enough time to offer a quick thanks to Garret before the man departed, moving the cart to rest beside the door as he left. Realizing that he was still technically on a lunch break, Mason slid one of the trays out to the furthest extent his arm could push it. "We can eat together again if you are hungry."

Lark seemed less reserved for their second meal, going so far as to close the distance so that they could sit face-to-face, almost within arm's reach. The Oolau followed Mason's lead, carefully watching him and eating his own meal in the same order as the Human. Everything went well until Mason started on the broccoli salad; the Wolf gave it a tentative sniff and dropped the cup, making a disgusted face that couldn't have been any funnier than if it had come from a four legged pet dog. Unable to help himself, Mason started laughing.

The Oolau shot him a nasty look, folding his arms over his chest as he quite obviously nursed his wounded pride. Ultimately, as Mason calmed down, the Wolf ventured a flat, dismissive statement. "I have learned that not all Hunan food is good."

Mason managed to careful reserve any more injection of humor aside from a smile before responding. "It is okay, Lark. Not all Humans like broccoli either."

The Steward snorted blandly before trying the English word. "Rock-uh-lee."

Realizing that the Oolau was not going to handle the 'b' easily, Mason was content with that attempt. "Right. It is the green part--" he speared one from his cup with his fork, holding it up. "--this."

"I see, and, yes: I do not like it."

They ultimately returned to eating but Lark continued to avoid the broccoli salad. Silence reigned for a time as their respective meals came to an end. Eventually Mason decided to try and strike up a fresh conversation. It was good to see that Lark was eating since that would help in healing, but rest was important too. "How are you sleeping?"

The Oolau swallowed the food in his muzzle, regarding Mason quizzically, as if trying to figure out what was being asked. Eventually he flicked an ear, speaking briefly before taking another bite. "On my stomach."

It wasn't exactly the answer Mason was looking for but it caught him off guard enough that he almost smirked. Quickly recovering from the unanticipated humor of the misunderstanding, the Human reassessed the situation and tried again. "You will heal better with more rest. Are you sleeping well?"

Lark once again swallowed his bite and, looking over the last piece of sandwich in his paw, stated "No. There is too much noise." and popped it into his maw. He chewed, staring right back at the young man.

Mason looked down to his own sandwich and waited until Lark had finished chewing the final bite. "Too much noise? What do you mean? This part of the base has almost no activity at night."

The Oolau flicked an ear dismissively before gesturing with his left arm. "There is noise all around. I hear a humming. All the time. It is everywhere. The light above hums the loudest, but even when it is off I hear the sounds."

Immediately connecting the statement with how well Oolau could hear, Mason put the pieces together. "Oh... that's the electricity. Of COURSE you can hear it."

Lark stared at him, trying the word on for size. "E-leck-triss-ih-tee. Yes. I hear it all the time. Do you ignore it?"

Mason shook his head. "No... the Seekers-- ah, Dreamers we have here... the other Oolau-- they learn to ignore it, but Humans do not hear as well as Oolau so it doesn't really bother us at all."

The Wolf snorted in response, glancing up to the light fixture inset into the ceiling. "We need our ears, but you must use your eyes more than we do. We can hear what Hunans cannot, but Hunans can see what is invisible to us."

The young man was surprised by the statement; not only was it the first time Lark had actually bothered to discuss anything without being prompted, but Mason honestly didn't know what his luncheon companion meant. "I do not think Humans can see invisible things. I do not understand what you mean."

Lark let out a soft huff, reaching up with his left paw to rub at one of his ears as he wriggled his nose. "You would not know what it is if you can see it... we would know because we cannot."

It was a vague answer but Mason realized he shouldn't push too hard or risk Lark thinking the discussion as an interrogation. "What can Humans see that you cannot?"

It looked as though the Wolf wasn't going to answer him at first but, after a slight delay, Lark's shoulders lost their raised defiance and, as he let out a breath, Lark explained "The Warriors of the tribe say that Hunans can see through our stalking paint... we become invisible in the forest but Hunan scouts can still see us no matter how still we hold."

Mason immediately made the connection, speaking a word in English that had no equivalent in the Oolau tongue. "Color."

Lark cocked his head to the side. "Color? What is that? An herb? A ritual?"

Oolau, Mason remembered, saw everything in shades of green and blue. The more green an item the brighter the light while shadow, shade and darkness caused objects to take on a bluer hue. It was explained to him early in his education to function similarly to night vision which, incidentally, was impeccable among the wolves. Suddenly at a loss, the Human realized that he'd somehow have to explain color to his companion. "You did not know that the Oolay words 'Light' and 'Dark' each have two different meanings in most Human languages."

He meant the statement as a question and Lark flicked his tail in agreement before acknowledging that to be the case. "I did not know."

Mason pointed to the wrist cuff of his uniform, which was a muted gold color. "In the Oolau language this is 'Sarr'. In my language, English, it is 'Yellow'. In another language I speak, Spanish, it is called 'amarillo'."

The Oolau's brows furrowed and he tried both words. "Yell-o.... an-a-ree-oh... those words mean 'light'?"

Mason couldn't flick his tail in agreement since he didn't have one, and Lark certainly wouldn't understand the nod of his head so he nodded and acknowledged with a "Yes... but the Oolau word can also mean 'light' in English... or 'luz' in Spanish."

Lark flicked an ear, brows still furrowed. "Why so many words for one meaning?"

Pleased that the Oolau was starting to think in the right direction, Mason made a blind leap of faith in the hopes that Lark would continue following his train of thought. "Because for Humans there is a difference between 'yellow' and 'light' or 'amarillo' or 'luz'... the first words are known as 'colors', and the second are shades... illumination."

There was no appreciable difference among Oolau when it came to color and lighting since they didn't see the same spectrum of light that Humans could. Mason remembered that there were similar issues with Phins, but the cetaceans from Water Earth could still detect differences in hues, granted, anything that wasn't blue or green or white was muted in comparison. Oolau, however, lacked the capacity to see colors derived from red at all, and yellow was only perceived as a form of green.

Lark seemed to follow the discussion, but he nudged the topic back to his original question. "How does this explain why Humans can see Oolau who are camouflaged?"

Mason glanced around for a prop to help answer the question an he settled on his cup of mostly-finished potato salad. Picking it up, he tilted it in Lark's direction. "Do you see the potato salad?"

The Oolau repeated the words "Hotato salad... yes. I see it."

Mason gestured to it with his hand. "You can see different parts of it as light and dark... but Humans can see more. To us, we see 'red', and 'white' and 'green' and 'yellow' and more. We are able to see more features because we see more than shades... we see 'color'.

Based on Lark's reaction, the numerous English words presented in the statement were simultaneously confusing but, at the same time, got him thinking further. The Oolau mumbled what sounded like his attempts at the different colors, some of which were easier for him than others, until he ultimately spoke up. "How do you do this? How can you see these things?"

The young man didn't really have a good answer, except perhaps for empathy, so he tried that. "Humans can see them in the same way as Oolau can hear things that we cannot. You asked how Humans can see Oolau who have paints on their fur to help them hide..." he held up the potato salad again. "...to Oolau, you see your paints as light and dark, but Humans can see 'colors', so, to us, your hunters are as visible to us as the sound the ceiling light makes is audible to you."

Lark flicked his tail in response, finishing the rest of his meal by using his tongue to clean out the shallow bowl which contained his own potato salady. Silence prevailed again for many long moments until the Oolau set the bowl down and declared "I believe I understand... not everything, but more than when we began."

Mason smiled. "Good. I think I do too."

There was still time left in the young man's break but he didn't want to impose upon the Oolau. Standing up, he dusted his pants off and picked up his tray; he also held his hand out to Lark. "I will take your--" he paused, trying to figure out the Oolau word for tray; he settled on a different word instead "--your dishes if you are done eating."

The black wolf picked up his tray in his left paw and extended it to Mason. "I am. Thank you for almost everything. I did not like the rock-uh-lee."

Mason smiled in response, accepting it. The smile faded however when he considered the Oolau's constant use of his left arm to the exclusion of his right. "You should start using your other arm more, Lark... it will not get better if you do not."

As if realizing he had two arms for the first time, the Oolau looked down to regard it. "I do not understand it... it is my arm, but it is not. I lost my arm before coming here, but it is part of me again."

The Human realized it must have been very confusing, especially since the medical know-how of the Unity Programme was greater than Human technology alone-- already several centuries beyond what the Seekers used, which, in turn, was far more advanced than what the Stewards seemed to use. Regardless, Mason gestured to the unused limb. "It is okay to be confused, Lark... but that is your arm, and it is part of you again. The healers here were able to put it back on you. It may take some time for you to learn how to use it again, but you should try. Working with it will make it heal faster."

Lark snorted. "I have never heard of an arm being put back on once taken off."

Mason remembered something he'd heard from one of his fellow students during the study of Oolau; they hard a hard time resisting a challenge. "You want to let it go unused because you are afraid to understand it."

It could have been construed as a question and, in fact, Mason would have been content if Lark had taken it as such but, just as he'd often heard, the Oolau apparently took it as a challenge. "I will learn how to use it, even if it IS strange."

The young man managed to hide his smile, and simply stated "Good. Then I look forward to seeing you use it when I visit next."

Lark looked up from his immobile right paw as if realizing for the first time that Mason was about to leave. "You are going now."

Mason acknowledged the statement. "I am. I'll see you again soon."

Even though Lark's tone was neutral, the young man didn't miss the faintest wag of the Wolf's tail as he said "I will see you when you return."

Nodding, the Human placed the trays on the cart and moved it to the door. "Good. Start trying to use your arm and I'll be back tomorrow."

Lark responded simply. "Ah-ahwoo."